As the ‘Nice Surprise’ Street Art Festival wrapped up, Pobel’s impressive mural on Stavanger silos brought a bit of theater and activism to the fore. With a short lead time and a lot to learn, this first-time run festival was a heartfelt invitation to twelve talented artists from around the world, asking them to share their creativity from a variety of different vantage points in the street art/graffiti parlance with folks in Stavanger. It’s been a journey of unveiling and discovery, and here at BSA, it’s been our pleasure to travel alongside, capturing every mural and sharing it with you. Today, we give you a one-stop recap of all the pieces from the first ‘Nice Surprise’ festival.
We want to say thanks to Atle Østrem, Pøbel, Tore Pang, Izabell Ekeland, and Stine Oliversen for their gracious hospitality, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. We also wish to express our gratitude to Ian Cox, Tor Ståle, and Ludvig Hart for sharing their photographs with us. Thank you also to the great people we talked with on the streets and at our formal presentation at the theater. Perhaps we’ll see you next year!
Art Meets Agrarian Activism: Pøbel’s Monumental Mural Marks Stavanger’s Skyline
Internationally acclaimed Norwegian street artist Pøbel, has masterfully utilized one of Stavanger’s grandest canvases to highlight, with a touch of irony, the often-underappreciated contributions of the agricultural sector. Marking a fitting climax to Stavanger’s inaugural “Nice Surprise” street art festival, his mural seamlessly intertwines activism with the contemporary aesthetics of street art and graffiti. By repurposing public space, Pøbel adeptly sidesteps the cacophony of commercial advertising, championing a poignant message that elevates discourse to an appropriately human level, reminding us all not to overlook those who nourish society.
As the sun sets on the first “Nice Surprise” street art festival and the city heads into autumn, this stands as a powerful unveiling of a thought-provoking mural on an emblematic location: northern Europe’s largest silo facility, once the heart of Norway’s grain storage contingency, standing tall since 1962. This 3,600 M2 masterpiece, depicting a 60-meter-tall farmer adorned in the unmistakable green overalls of the Felleskjøpet Agri brand, poignantly holds a sign reading “Will work for food.” The choice of imagery and location is no accident. As Pøbel, the artist behind this bold and simple visual statement, reflects, “But who will provide for the providers? And do we take it for granted that the providers will and can continue to provide for us?”
The silo’s storied history mirrors the very essence of the mural. Constructed to act as a national contingency warehouse for grains, the facility, which could handle up to 125,000 tons of grains each week during the harvest season, shifted to commercial storage after 1995. However, as global uncertainties rise, with wars, viruses, and economic tides disrupting food supply chains and escalating food prices, the debate over reverting it to its original role resonates deeply. The structure now stands at a crossroads, with discussions around its potential demolition for residential development. Pøbel’s mural underscores this uncertainty, symbolizing the broader societal challenges. As he remarks, “The building, its location history, and provider role… can act as a metaphor for many things we are facing in our society.”
Due to global interests, Norwegian farmers have recently grappled with potential threats to their livelihoods, especially as trade agreements expose them to cheaper imports and challenge the established subsidies system. Concurrently, debates on land use and ownership regulations have stoked concerns over the future of family farms amidst a backdrop of global agricultural consolidation. As climate change reshapes Norway’s agricultural landscape, farmers seek solutions to ensure sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Pøbel appears to hope the mural is an evocative emblem of these struggles. Tor Jacob Solberg, a member of the Norwegian farming community, echoes this sentiment on Pøbel’s Facebook page, praising the artist as a hero for capturing the issues at hand. “You are an incredibly significant artist and social critic. You should know that farmers talk about you as a hero because you show the essence of many important battles food production stands in. We are forever grateful to you!” While the mural’s vastness is impressive, the underlying narrative of resilience, uncertainty, and societal reflection provides a grounding for consideration of our most basic needs and in whose hands they are.
BSA spoke with Pøbel about his new project for Nice Surprise.
BSA: Back in August you told us that you were not open to making any changes to the sketch you presented for approval. Did they express any concerns about your sketch/proposal? Did they want changes made?
Pøbel: I was not directly involved in the dialogue with the building owners, but from what I understand, there was quite a bit of a discussion about whether to give me permission or not based on my sketch. I assume there were concerns that it might have been a bit too political. Finally, we got word that the permission was granted, which was a bit unexpected. For me it was important that I was able to create what I wanted to create, and that I did not have to compromise in any way based on the wishes of anyone else.
BSA: The process of moving from sketching to painting the silo couldn’t be more different. Can you tell us how it went in practice once you were in the lifts? What challenges have you experienced?
Pøbel: I guess it was only after the approval it dawned on me that I had to figure out a way to actually do it! The wall is approximately 200 feet tall, and most regular professional lifts on the marked usually have a reach of “only” 140 feet. Building a permanent scaffold would be too time-consuming and expensive since the wall is also 200 feet wide. I planned to paint it by abseiling from the top of the roof, but then, luckily at the last moment, I found a lift that could reach 192 feet.
Another challenge with the wall is that it consists of 10 silos that are cylinder shaped. This means there are basically “curves” on the wall, with a depth of up to 8 feet. The curves make it difficult to paint just a straight line, for example, because depending on your perspective (if it’s from the bottom or the top), the straight line will look bent. Equally, will the painting changes when viewing from the side.
BSA: Do you remember a particular, distinctive moment that happened to you while painting the silo? – Either a personal experience or an experience with the public watching you paint?
P: It was quite an interesting experience to be almost 200 feet above ground in the big lift that was standing on the lighter (barge). It was the first time in Norway that a lift this big had been on a lighter, so no expert advice existed, but as expected, the waves made it swing many feet from side to side. The biggest challenge was other boats and ferries passing by creating big waves that would swing way too much.
BSA: Being above it all on top of the silo and the lift must have given you a new perspective of the city, its topography, and the immensity of the ocean.
P: It was a very nice view from the top of the lift. Once I was up there, I was usually quite focused on the painting, but the first night of painting the ocean was unusually still and quiet, and at one point in the night aurora lights appeared in the cloudless sky. It is not so often there are aurora lights this far south in Norway. I took that as a good sign for the work to be done.
BSA: Did any farmers come to visit the site to see you while painting?
P: There were spectators from time to time, but all from a distance since the place I worked from was inside a fenced area. Many of farmers have gave praise to the painting afterwards, especially the leader of the largest farmer’s association, who wrote that the painting meant a lot to the farmers. That was unexpected, and I am glad the art could be meaningful that way to them and to the public as a whole.
Some facts and background of the building: Mural height: 60 meters (197 ft) Mural width: 60 meters (197 ft) Mural size: 3600 m2 (38 800 ft2) Paint used: app. 800 litres (210 gallons)
The silos were built in 1962 and during the fall season it can receive up to 125 000 tons of grains each week. It was built to be a national contingency warehouse for grains and was used for that up until 1995. After this it has been used for commercial storage of grains. The current owners want to demolish and move it and convert the area into a residential area. However, with the recent war in Ukraine, energy crisis and increased food costs, debates to make it a national contingency warehouse for grains once again is an ongoing debate.
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! This week we have a stunning array of street art pieces in Norway, from small detailed stencils to sweeping murals, figurative to conceptual to heroic. We’re in Stavanger for the Nice Surprise festival. Naturally, our own Jaime Rojo also had to strike a pose atop Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), which takes all the stamina and courage you can affjord. We are also seeing pieces and installations from previous Nuart festivals all over the place in Stavanger, many of which we’ve published previously but have not seen in person. Of course, not all of these shots are from Nuart and one is in Flekkefjord – a storied town that looks like it is frozen in time. And by frozen, we mean, well…
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: 1UP Crew, John Fekner, HYURO, Add Fuel, EVOL, Snik, Jaune, JPS, Pøbel, Ammparito, Nuno Viegas, Vlady Art, Slava Ptrk, Toddel, Mendioh, and STRØK.
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! This week we have some great stuff from Norway for you.
The southern tip of Norway, graced by picturesque towns like Flekkefjord, Obrestad, Bryne, Sandnes, and Stavanger, is imbued with a rich tapestry of history, culture, and breathtaking natural beauty. Nestled along the summer coastline, these towns stand as a testament to Norway’s maritime history and heritage.
As you are driving and winding through the green rolling countryside and into quaint old idyllic towns countenancing picturesque harbors, waterfronts, wooden buildings, cobblestone streets, boat parades, seafood-focused cuisine, towering cliffs, and steep mountainsides plunging dramatically into the deep, serene waters below that, produce and interplay of light and shadow and a mesmerizing tapestry of colors, you think “Where did all of these sheep come from?” At first, during our two days of driving the south Norwegian countryside, we thought we had stumbled into a unique town with those puffy white animals dotting the green hills, constantly chewing, but they would soon disappear. Little did we know.
In the US, there are 16 sheep per person in the country. In Norway, it is 463.
And they are all freaking adorable—also rams. Rams are very adorable but might knock you on your rumpa if you get too close.
Also, there was a very modest amount of street art among all the natural beauty and stunning architecture. Still, with our expert guides, we found surprising occurrences of stencils and murals and the occasional tag while traipsing through places like Flekkefjord, Sandness, and Obrestad (in a lighthouse!).
Our sincere thanks to Tor and Marie for showing us the sights and the beautiful fjords. Hey, did you hear about the musical fjord? It’s quite a harmonious inlet!
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Isaac Cordal, 1UP Crew, David De La Mano, Said Dokins, Ethos, JPS, Pøbel, Hama Woods, Smug, Jofre Oliveras, Helene Norkildsen, Nimi, RH-74 Renate, Pablo S. Herrero, Juan Fiveliner, Skrue, Anette Moi, Ugly Logo.
Norwegian street artist Pøbel made a splash last spring with his stencil of a passionate couple kissing with their masks. That was early in our understanding of how the virus might be spread. Today we see his newest piece that lifts a front line medical worker aloft, or rather Minister of Health Bent Høie does. It is good to see that the importance of masking is more evident.
Here on this clean concrete wall alongside car traffic, Pøbel references an arched pose from the ballet (or the movie “Dirty Dancing”) that gives us all a reason to breathe, to exult the love of life, to dance again.
Norwegian Street Artist Pøbel is offering artists proofs of
his “The Lovers” print to raise funds for Covid-19 efforts in the Amazon. Today
you have an opportunity to get an original and unique piece that has been
featured on many publications since he first put this image of a couple in
embrace on the streets.
Pøbel “Tne Lovers” Detail. (photo courtesy of Pøbel)
He tells us that he’s travelled many times to South America
and has made friends with folks in indigenous communities. “Many of these are
now suffering due to the pandemic, and we hear little about this in our part of
the world. Hospitals have been collapsed for months, some are dying in the
streets, the government restrictions and economic fall make it impossible for
many people who live day-by-day to get what they need.”
Pøbel “Tne Lovers” Detail. (photo courtesy of Pøbel)
100 % of this sale is going to a goo friend of his who has studied with and
lived with different indigenous families for a decade, he says. “The indigenous
people are strong and their ancestors have survived similar things in the past
on their own, but this time I, like many others, would like to reach out a
helping hand to try to do some good.”
Pøbel “Tne Lovers” Detail. (photo courtesy of Pøbel)
The Lovers AP
Dirty test print
1/1 Unique
88 x 62 cm
34,6 x 24,4 In
Conqueror Connoisseur
300 gsm paper
Hand-printed
5% art tax included
Signed and numbered
DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND TO PLACE YOUR BID:
We’re off the street now, the BSA team, as New York City goes into lock-down mode in the face of the global Covid19 virus pandemic.
We
know that our medical infrastructure will be overwhelmed, because it was broken
apart systematically into a thousand tiny pieces years ago. Unlike centralized
medical care that many other countries have, it has been only available to some
of us and usually at a great cost that outstrips our abilities to provide for
our families.
Now,
as New York faces the prospect of becoming completely overwhelmed for months,
we see that even basic testing, medical supplies, beds, and personnel cannot be
pulled together fast enough through a decentralized profit-based system. This
isn’t political – this is life. Unfortunately this is also death.
So
if we do get sick, we’re not even thinking of going to a hospital. If some of
our older friends and relatives get sick, we’re hoping that there will be
enough money and resources to serve their needs. But the signs are not good
here in the country with the highest GDP in the world. Makes you wish there was
Medicare for All right?
So, as long as we’re able, we’re going to publish work from the street. But for the first time since we began publishing 12 years ago, the new shots on the street will also need to come from you – since we are quarantined. Please send us what you see, what you capture – maybe out the window. But don’t put yourself at risk, or others.
So here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring 1UP Crew, 907, Fours, Kuma, Pork, Pøbel, Poi Everywhere, Raf Mata Art, Smells, Stres, The Act of Love, The Postman Art, and Zexor.
Our headline comes from adapting the title of a novel by the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, replacing the infectious Corona for the infectious Cholera. In his love-triangle story, he speaks of the lessons learned from a particular woman, but he may as well have been speaking about the now-global crisis we humans are facing:
“(she) stood him on his head, tossed
him up and threw him down, made him as good as new, shattered all his virtuous
theories, and taught him the only thing he had to learn about love: that nobody
teaches life anything.”
In an encounter that feels like Norwegian magical realism, Street Artist Pøbel has left this love-struck couple grappling for one another in the city of Byrne.
Sadly, not even this mask-kissing precaution is enough to protect these lovers from the transmission.
Dr. Muhammad Munir of Lancaster University’s department of biomedical and life sciences, and an expert in viral diseases, says “It’s not just sex itself – it’s any contact involved during the act,” in an article in the Guardian. Journalist Sirin Kale reports there that “Even if you don’t kiss the person you are having sex with, you may still contract coronavirus.”
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening :
1. VHILS: Debris in Hong Kong . NOWNESS
2. “Shiny” from Daniel Cloud Campos
3. 108 + Eleuro
4. Pøbel and Donald Trump in Hollywood
BSA Special Feature:VHILS: Debris in Hong Kong . NOWNESS
Vhils has made a high quality short movie based in Hong Kong that asks many of the existential questions of workers in the developed world in 2016. Crisply told with an attenuated attention level, VHILS walks you through his creative endeavors while revealing the conflicting feeling that accompany the frequently soulless existence of a capitalist race. The tightly clapping soundtrack is also soulfully sexy, the layers are blasted away with punishing style, and there is plenty of debris.
“Shiny” from Daniel Cloud Campos
Eye candy for the animation set, you may never toss your clothes on the floor thoughtlessly again. There is a story line here, but you may lose it while marveling at the creativity flying around the room.
Written & Directed by – Daniel Cloud Campos & Spencer Susser
Edited by – Daniel Cloud Campos & Spencer Susser
Produced by – Daniel Cloud Campos & Spencer Susser
Production Company – Blue Tongue Films
Director of Photography – Spencer Susser
Lead Animation by – Daniel Cloud Campos
Additional Animation by – Spencer Susser
Composer – Michael Yezerski
Sound Design/Re-recording Mix by – Derek Vanderhorst
Sound Effects Editor – Marc Glassman
Sound Editor – Jacob Houchen
Color by – Trevor Durstchi
Original song “It’s So Shiny” Written & Performed by – Paul Musso
Visual Effects by – Spencer Susser & Daniel Cloud Campos
Voices by – Daniel Cloud Campos, Spencer Susser, Tamara Levinson-Campos & Stormi Henley
Special Thanks – Michael Gracey, Gavin Millette, Dineh Mohajer, Liinda Garisto, Aaron Downing
108 + Eleuro
A simple homemade video of 108 + Eleuro going out to the country to paint a wall in an abandoned factory space. The atonal soundtrack makes you think that something profound or frightening will happen, but its just a couple of friends painting.
Pøbel and Donald Trump in Hollywood
Pøbel took a walk down Hollywood Boulevard to make a political statement in Donald Trump’s star. The valley girls took one second to look up from their phones and like oh my god surreeusslaay they like so freaked out I am not even kidding.
Also, what is the criterion for getting a star exactly?
A wild week in world geopolitics, terror, social crisis – interpret them as you may through the prism of art collecting and fandom – as Miami Art Basel and the Wynwood District were bursting with high prices, high emotions, high celebrity-counts, and people who appeared to be high almost all the time. There were also heavy rains, big name music performances, custom designed cocktails, luxury brands, brand fusions, and sponsored walls and events everywhere. Also a stabbing.
Once we can sort through the best photos we’ll definitely share some of the great work with you this week.
Meanwhile, Street Artists continue to create in cities elsewhere and while Miami is celebrating brands, logos and luxury, on the other side of the ocean Brandalism completed a 600 kiosk takeover in Paris this week skewering all of the above and the undue influence corporations are having in writing environmental/trade laws. On the aesthetic tip we’ve recently made a mental note that photo-realism is now reaching a critical mass. So there you are.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring A Pill NYC, Bifido, Buff Monster, Cash4, Dan Witz, Fuzeillear, Invader, Jordan Seiler, Knarf, LikMi, Luca Ladda, Østrem, Otto Schade, Persue, Pøbel, Rahmi Rajah, Sean9Lugo, Sipros, and Skount.
These two pieces are part of the NUART collection of murals painted for previous editions of the festival. They are not freshly painted but we wanted to publish them as they are calling our attention to a topic that is current and urgent and addressed by world leaders in Paris for the COP21 Climate Summit 2015 as well as dozens of Street Artists with the #brandalism campaign.
The street appears in the living room when you visit some artists homes or those of hard core collectors. “Brooklyn is in da house!” suddenly takes on additional meaning. So imagine rolling through a heavily graffitied section of Bushwick this week to find someone’s living room is on display on the street. It’s like a set for a TV show, or a theater stage; The couch, the coffee table, a lamp, paneling, even a hard wood floor comprised of, well, not really hard wood. A hunter’s lodge maybe? A cabin in the Adirondacks? Without a back story, this looked like a stage had been built but you couldn’t be sure what for. Just as our intrepid photographer raised his camera to his eye, the woody indoor scene became exactly that – a stage.
“As I was taking the above photo a fast and furious dude came like a flash out of nowhere on his bike, stopped abruptly, and threw his bike on the floor,” says Jaime. “I didn’t know what to expect and watched him fish a spray can from a plastic shopping bag and step up on the sofa and write his tag upon the living room wall. The actor muttered something I couldn’t hear as he sprayed over another’s tag and then stepped down, leaving just as quickly as he has appeared. It was as if the fourth wall really did exist and he didn’t see me, the audience. I did want to ask him about the tag and about his very fashionable French chignon. But really, I wasn’t even visible.”
See him in action in the photo below.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring C215, Dain, Damon, Dope, Dotmasters, Jamie Paul Scanlon (JPS), Marilyn Minter, NRG US Crew, Pøbel, Richard Best, Stefan Ways, Wolfe Work, You Go Girl!, and Østrem.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Crummy Gummy, Dan Witz, Dasic, Dot Dot Dot, Flood, Hama Woods, Jaye Moon, Jerk Face, LMNOPI, Mr. Toll, Ostream, Pobel, QRST, Robert Janz, The Department of Well Being, Tilt, and Todo Es Mentira.
These new pieces by QRST recently appeared with his ever more sophisticated technique of sculptural painting, now popping the forms forward into the street. The symbology is known to him only, combining religious iconography with street, science and mythological metaphor to tell a story, sometimes to write a diary entry. We found out that these are 3 of 4 new pieces that are about loss and death, relating different aspects of the the same experience, “different personifications of the same dark thing,” according to the artist.
Elfo is a graffiti writer and social commentator whose work intentionally sidesteps traditional notions of style or technical lettering. This …Read More »
In her latest mural, Faring Purth delivers a powerful reflection on connection, continuity, and the complexity of evolving relationships—a true …Read More »
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
